The Parent Conference
by Vmailer
Summary: What will happen when Ranka's called in for a parent teacher conference?  Why is he called for a parentteacher conference?  Read and find out! [drabblish?]


**_The Parent Conference_**

**Disclaimer**: I don't own any of the characters in this story. This is my first fanfic in Ouran and I apologize for the lack of beta. Thank you for reading this fanfic.

**It began with a teacher's pride in a modest student…**

With a sigh of relief, Mia Koji finished typing up the formal request for a parent-teacher conference. Normally, such requests were for troublemakers, but the homeroom teacher of Class 1A believed in commending the parent of the exceptional scholarship student, Haruhi Fujioka. After teaching at the Ouran Institute for such a long time, a long time had passed since she saw such a bright student pursuing a dream. After all, the last time a female special scholarship student barely graduated from Ouran was over 20 years ago, and immediately married off as a advantageous match. A commoner might have qualified for the special status, but many have been often burnt out, quit, or simply disappeared for mysterious reasons. Due to a unquestionable "special situation," the majority of the school believed the girl was actually a boy. From a teaching standpoint, scholarship students were a dream come true because most of her students did not have the thirst for knowledge that Fujioka-_kun_ possessed, but Mia remembered the father's request that his daughter have some fun. Shaking off her musings, she scanned her request for a parent-teacher conference the following Friday afternoon. She signed her name and dropped both copies into the school administration's office because it needed the stamp of the school chairman. She was slightly embarrassed at using the parent-teacher conference to reassure and congratulate the parent on raising such a bright student, but as she got in the car, she laughed at herself. "What can possibly happen?"

**School Administrator's Office**

When the School Administrator saw the words, he sighed. _What was Koji-san thinking?_ Usually, the man would stamp the Chairman's signature without a second thought, but this student seemed to be an epitome of exceptions, for the Chairman himself told the administrator the chairman would be taking a personal interest in anything concerning the scholarship student. _Western novels and long reaching arachnids_, he fumed inwardly. He rose from the chair and made to leave the office and on his way to the Chairman Suoh's primary residence, he noticed a redhead and for a moment, feared it was one of the Hitachiin brothers, the source of many pranks. Just as he was about to ineffectually scold the teenager, the old man finally noticed the feminine features. He sweatdropped and respectfully greeted the mother of said twins. "Hitachiin-_san_, it's nice to see you again."

With a critical eye, the fashion designer noticed the papers in his hand and quickly plucked them. "Fujioka? Parent-Teacher Conference?" _What did my sons do to the girl now? Kaoru and Hikaru talk about her so much…_ Scanning the contents, she turned her gaze to the nervous administrator. "Ah, ah, ahh!" She waved the papers out the reach of the man and teased him. "Did you forget the board of directors should be notified on the special scholarship student we approved of? The others won't like it" With a smile, her brightly painted fingers tapped him in his chest. "Tsk, tsk, tsk!"

By now, the man's knees were trembling and he barely heard. "Under the statutes, we could bring this to the board, or…" Her eyes turned into stars. "you could just tell me when the meeting's setup." With an impish grin, she waved as she walked away. "Ciao!" The school administrator silently groaned _Royal rich bastards…_

Hidden all over the school grounds, microphones and cameras recorded everything.

**Suoh Mansion #2**

The two men casually sipped wine on a balcony. "Your son never ceases to amaze me." Yuzuru Suoh commented. The two men had just left a quick painless joint acquisition of a small mining company.

The dark-haired man disagreed; it was an old routine between the two men. "These days, I might have to agree." With a soft laugh he recounted an instance where he over his son muttering in the hallways about debt. "Kyouya used to only fume about Tamaki. Now, he smiles about debt and eyes our antiques quite suspiciously." The two men shared a moment of amusement before they were interrupted by a expressionless servant telling the Suoh patriarch the school administrator requested an audience at his earliest convenience as it concerned the special scholarship student. Still in a good mood, the school chairman waved the school administrator over to where they were seated. The chairman of Ootori Enterprises continued to sip the wine, but his interest too was caught.

The school administrator gulped at the sight of yet another powerful school board member sitting with the school chairman. Quickly and efficiently he explained the teacher's request and shuffled the papers before placing them before the two men. He quickly suppressed a shiver when he saw the glasses of Ootori-_sama_ gleam speculatively at him. Now focused on the papers, the school chairman muttered a "thank you," but did not dismiss the man. The man in question could only wait as Yuzuru Suoh found a pen and signed his name with a flourish on both copies. The pen paused for a moment above the second copy and Yoshio wordlessly provided his occasional friend with a small sheet of paper. The pen flew across the paper again, but the administrator could not read the words before the sheet was whisked into another pocket.

Upon leaving the premises, the school administrator could not help but wonder what would happen next.

**Next Day: Fujioka Household**

Ryoji "Ranka" Fujioka voiced his surprise over the letter. "Haruhi-_kun_, you never received this sort of letter before." His daughter looked unconcerned at his worry as she continued serving dinner. Ranka grimaced at the thought of the idiotic club president leading his precious daughter down the path to ruin.

"It's only a parent-teacher meeting. You're acting like I'm going to be expelled. I did nothing wrong," the matter-of-fact declaration from the girl did not reassure Ranka. His precocious daughter continued muttering under her breath. "You'd think I haven't seen enough theatrics for today. First the Club, then you." The teenager heaved a sigh. "We'll see."

After much deliberation, Ranka chose to be manly and ironed out his suit for the meeting the following week.

**Third Music Room, the Following Friday.**

The only sign the brunette noticed the overall stress level of the male portion of the Host Club. It was almost tangible, but only to a person who knew each of the hosts. The intensity of the Hitachiin brotherly love act "tear-jerking" factor increased 8 fold, sending the customers a roller coaster of emotion without knowing why exactly. Usa-chan's ears would be floppier than usual and the stuffed rabbit wore a frown instead of the usual grin when it accompanied the normally bouncy blond senior. Hunny-_sempai's_ customers were left breathless from the senior's hugs. Mori-_sempai's_ customers enjoyed actually _talking_ with the usually taciturn host. He spoke in full sentences that took longer than 12 seconds. Speechless, the girls simply listened to the baritone voice compliment and teach them some basic self-defense techniques. Meanwhile, another group of regular customers listened awestruck to the moving sounds coming from the piano, played by the talented half-French Host Club president, Tamaki Suoh. Slightly off to the side of the piano, close to the windows, Haruhi entertained her customers when one asked, "Haruhi-_kun_, did the Host Club sneak a pet hamster in here?" A yellow sleeve pointed in a direction where she heard fast, furious, and loud scratching sounds.

_In this place, I wouldn't put anything past this group_, the "natural rookie" looked…and saw the reflected light off the vice-president's glasses. Kyouya Ootori stood slightly hidden near the curtains. His head moved to the left and his eyes narrowed at the twin's antics, but the pencil did not stop the furious scribbling in the ever-present notebook.

To reassure her customer, Haruhi chuckled, "I doubt it." Striving for normalcy, the scholarship student refilled the food and drinks and went to set the customers at ease until the club closed for the day.

The instant the doors closed, lunatics, also known as her friends, surrounded the teenage crossdresser. She shrugged off their concern. "You guys! Why is everyone over-reacting?!" She looked at the clock and jumped a little when she noticed it was later than usual. "I thought we stop at 5pm."

Walking over to his Pineapple laptop, Kyouya clicked a button and pointed. "Today was an experimental "Extended Session" to see…" The _megane_ paused when the screen flashed showing 5 men and 2 women in a conference room. "ah….it's still not done yet?"

Haruhi smacked a hand against her eyes. _I should have known…_ Hunny-sempai clutched Usa-chan a little more as he walked over. "Kyo-_chan_! You have access to every camera? I thought only the defense force and related personnel would have it."

The Shadow King's finger pushed his glasses back up, "But Hunny-_sempai_, don't you remember who controls the Private Police?"

The stuff bunny's sewn lips trembled before Hunny-sempai turned back to Haruhi. "Haru-_chan_, Haru-_chan_! Let's watch!" The floating pink flowers around Hunny-_sempai_'s head spun in circles in tandem with his words.

"No….thanks." Her words were ignored as the rest of the club clambered over to the laptop. The twins peered at Kyouya with a guarded glance.

The Ootori pushed up his glasses and pulled out a pair of cables to hand to the twins. "Kaoru, set up the projector." Kaoru went after the screen while Hikaru started connecting the cables to the laptop.

Apparently, after hooking up the projector to the laptop, the twins found some snacks, drinks, and cake for Hunny-_sempai_; then they herded Haruhi to the extra long sofa. Tamaki claimed the throne-like chair closest to the twins, while Mori and short blond senior claimed the other end of the sofa. Kyouya sat close to his laptop. Temporarily unable to use his laptop did not keep the vice-president from being close to the telling machine. The coffee table held the food and the twins tried to hold onto Haruhi. The girl in question, however, was trying to focus on the screen.

Through the flickering images on the giant screen before the Club, Haruhi could pick out a few people other than Koji-_sensei_ and Ranka. "Sempai, not that I've actually _seen_ a parent-conference teacher conference before, but aren't they only supposed to have the teacher and the parent of the student in question?"

The loud voices in the club almost drowned out the affirmative grunt from Mori-_sempai_. The twins tried to reassure Haruhi by pointing out their mom. "See? You remember her, right? "

"How can I forget the fashion show?" Haruhi muttered to herself, but while she could recognize Mrs. Hitachiin, School Chairman Suoh, the other three men looked vaguely familiar, but she could not clearly identify them from the cameras. The vice-president's expressionless face surprised Haruhi. Meanwhile, Hunny-_sempai_ was whispering to Mori-_sempai_ and pointing to the screen.

"…behavior…grades…"

"my son has never…."

"she's the only…"

"…what?"

The club members watched attentively at the time delayed video recording.

In the Conference Room (time undisclosed)… 

The teacher of Class 1A looked at the opulent room that was to be the scene of her parent-teacher conference. She was still in shock over the results of her simple request. Usually the meetings either took place in a small back office of her classroom, or in the classroom itself. It also usually only involved 2 people – a teacher and the parent of the student in question. The school administrator was rarely present, the school chairman even less so, much less the other 3 leaders of separate industries – healthcare and hospital management, fashion, and defense. To have such a gathering of VIP in one room together sent Mia's imagination as to how the meetings between the Seven Great Families would be in ancient times. At the same time, she could not believe all this fuss over one student.

"Welcome Fujioka-_san_." Mia looked at the first arrival in a list of participants for this parent-teacher conference. _Note to self – never ever try to get in the middle of a situation that does not involve ancient history or anything short of disaster. The cross-dressing should've been a clue…_ "Thank you for coming. Please sit down."

The teacher rose from the table and went to retrieve a cup of tea. "Would you like a cup? We are waiting for…" At that moment, as if synchronized, all 5 doors opened to admit the other 6 people who wanted to attend the meeting. Mia tried her best not to be intimidated, but her hands still shook as she took a sip of tea. After the fortifying drink of tea, she started the meeting off.

"Thank you all for taking the time out of your busy schedules for this." The barest of formalities out of the way, she talked directly to Ranka, but found the man staring in awe at Mrs Hitachiin.

"You're so gorgeous! Your sons' friendship provides so much fun for Haruhi! I see they take after you! Your taste in clothing is simply divine!" Flattered and slightly flirtatious, Mrs. Hitachiin was about to reply with a standard "thank you," but could not help but say…"she has your eyes." It took Mia a minute or two more to restart the meeting.

"Fujioka-_san_…"

"Please, call me Ranka."

"Ahem…Ranka-_san_. Allow me to introduce everyone in this room. To my left is Dr. Sakai, our school administrator. Seated next to him is…" Ranka interrupted her again.

"The glorious Mrs. Hitachiin."

"Ahh yes. And seated next to her is Ootori-_sama_, CEO of Ootori Enterprises."

She gestured to the right-hand side. "School Chairman Souh has graciously agreed to attend this meeting and the two men next to him are the leaders of security and defense, Haninozuka and Morinozuka.." Nodding respectfully at the presence of the two men (whose reasons for attending the occasion were the most surprising) seated to the far right, the teacher commenced the meeting.

"Ranka-_san_. I simply wanted to inform you that Haruhi remains the top of her class. There was a moment during the midterm period that made for some nervousness, but that seems to have been an aberration. In fact, not only does she excel in her studies, but also providing an overall benefit to the class as a whole. I admit that I was concerned in the beginning about her social development being sacrificed for her educational goals, but I can now safely say that she is well on her way to becoming a well-rounded person due to –"

Chairman Suoh jumped in, "this school! And the wise judgment," he fluttered, "of the board members who made the decision to help this young girl pursue higher education!"

"Mr. Chairman!" Ms Koji admonished him, but Mrs. Hitachiin started listing what she considered pertinent facts. "Beautiful skin. Her posture could improve. She's a bit blunt, but she sees more than you expect and compels others to widen their worlds. Hikaru and Kaoru can't stop talking about her." Mrs. Hitachiin still was amazed. "Their designs are for 'desireless females who need fashion tutoring'" The lady went from tough CEO to a doting mama when sharing her sons' exploits. Thinking of the more recent outfits his daughter wore, Rank beamed at her. Encouraged, the redhead was about to go on, but her sons' teacher tried to bring the meeting back to order.

"Ahem. As I was saying, academically, you're daughter excels and helps others. I am still curious as to how Haruhi-_kun_ joined the school's most exclusive club," Mia did not notice the tiny jump in the majority of the room's occupants, "but that's not my concern as long as the scholarship student in my class – " her words were cutoff as Yoshio Ootori added his input.

"Yes, as long as the scholarship student does well here at Ouran Institute, the reasons don't matter, does it?" The bespectacled man stated in such a way that everyone understood the sentence was not a question, but more of declaration that should not be refuted. "As it stands, the situation is mutually beneficial for all concerned. An enlightening lesson, one might say." Even with gentle lighting, Ranka could see where Kyouya adopted the eyeglass-adjusting technique. The rest of the occupants were afraid when a grin appeared briefly on Ootori-_sama's_ face. Mia's groan drew everyone's attention to her in an awkward manner.

"Koji-_sensei_." It was the deep voice that drew Mia out of her embarrassment. She turned to one of the two men on the right. Rumor had it Morinozuka-_san_ could spend weeks without talking. "Are you all right?"

The young woman tried for a semblance of control in the situation. "Yes, thank you. As I –"

Surprisingly, Morinozuka-_san_ spoke again – the third time in the space of 1 minute! "You wanted to say how Fujioka-_san_ does well in school and how you want to ensure that she does well because while she is the most academically gifted student you've seen, she is also the least demanding as a student." Having imparted the words of insight, the man returned to silence. Haninozuka-_sama_ simply nodded to reinforce the point. The group waited for more, but after a few moments, a sigh of relief came from Mia and she tried to salvage the most of a situation. She reviewed projects, exams, presentations, grades and Haruhi's bright future. The teacher noticed the particular attention the other parents to the girl's academic achievements.

Mia could not describe how she felt specifically when she heard the bell tower chimed and the heads of companies made their excuses and left the room. The teacher looked at the man and reiterated her message. "Please believe me when I say she's not only an ideal student, but that I'm honored to help shape her education. Don't hesitate to tell me anything that could help all of us improve." With a grin, Mia stood up. "I'm sorry that everything got out of hand…" but Ranka's enthusiastic hand shaking stopped her.

"To think so many people care about my daughter! I'm so happy!" The suddenly gleeful man leapt into the air and was almost out of the room when Mia's words stopped him.

"I hope the next time I see you it will be under more normal circumstances. I believe she can be anything and go anywhere. She might need to go overseas. Does she have a passport?" Mia did not understand the man's sudden blank expression before he returned to a polite smiling man.

"Sure, sure. We'll talk about that next time," _Hopefully, not anytime soon_, the cross dresser thought as he ambled down to the hallways. Ranka went to find his daughter and the Third Music Room, but soon realized he was lost. A kind student pointed him towards the longest staircase. "Oh, just keep going up! You can't miss it!"

As he reached the top of the stairs, he saw the same group of gentlemen and woman from his earlier meeting. They no longer resembled the guarded tough-as-mails businessmen or martial arts masters. Yoshio Ootori stood in the open doorway of the Third Music Room holding a key and the open door, looking in. Haninozuka-_sama's_ mouth was open in slight shock while the Mori's father had the slight smile Ranka often saw on the face of Mori in the presence of Haruhi. Mrs. Hitachiin had the softest smile on her face while the Chairman of the school looked on fondly. Curious, Ranka approached the doorway and chuckled at the sight.

Morinozuka-_san's _recorded voice drifted over to the adults in the doorway. "…student." Kyouya was still seated at the table, but he was taking notes as he stared at the screen. The heir to the Haninozuka empire had moved from away from Mori and the sweets to sit closer to Haruhi and leaned against her legs from his position on the floor as he stared at the screen. For once, Mori's attention was not focused on Hunny. Instead, the tallest member of the Host Club also was staring at the screen. The twins sat entranced and didn't notice their "toy" had put on headphones and pulled out the recommended reading text from class. The twins turned to the girl to express their concern, only to find her lightly dozing.

"Oi, Haruhi!" Hikaru was about to shake her awake when Kaoru grabbed his forearm and stopped him with a hushed whisper. "_Hikaru_!"

It was too late as the brunette blinked her eyes open. "Oh! I'm sorry…"

"My Daughter! You must be relieved!" Tamaki was leaping in the room, slipping into his Inner Mind Theater as he spun around.

"Ah…yes. You still have designations." Kyouya-_sempai's_ glasses glittered and Haruhi did not notice the quick grin as she put her items into her suit pocket.

Sarcastically, she muttered, "mustn't forget the debt…." Some of her papers fell to the ground. (The twins had taken the headphones and started disparaging everything about it.) Haruhi bent down and inadvertently kissed Usa-chan on the mouth.

"Haru-_chan_, Haru-_chan_! Did you see my dad?" Hunny-sempai piped up from his position on the floor.

"_Ilie_…" Haruhi slowly shook her head, trying to clear it of stuffed bunny.

Kaoru placed a hand on her shoulder. "Haruhi, weren't you worried about your scholarship? About the Host Club?" Every male focused on the petite girl.

"Kaoru, it's a parent-teacher conference. It doesn't concern me. Regardless of the intention, spying is wrong." She did not mean it to be the final word, but she was distracted the group of adults in the open doorway.

As she walked towards the group, the girl saw her father walk into the room. Ranka turned to the well-meaning boys. "Hello Handsomes! You'll excuse us!"

The rest of the parents filed in and greetings were exchanged. The parents left quickly to truly return to their responsibilities. Haruhi at that moment was thankful she was a commoner, despite her father's chastisement. "Your friends cared so much that they caused their parents to go to _my_ parent-teacher conference" Ranka continued, "How many people do you know would hack into security systems just to ensure their friend's well-being?"

When Ranka saw his daughter open her mouth to object, he raised his hand. "Never mind. As much as I don't think either of us is ready for this…they love you so much!" He nearly sobbed.

Haruhi sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I understand, everyone!" Her fingers tapped her chin as she tried to remember what was in the pantry and in the refrigerator. She turned and looked at the various expressions of dejection in her friends' faces, she relented. "I know I'm going to regret this, so I'm only going to say this once – I'm going to the grocery store to buy the ingredients for dinner tonight. Are you coming with me? Any suggestions?"

Ranka added his two cents with a smile, " Boys, it's getting late. You may sleepover tonight." As all the men in her life proceeded to drag her along in their enthusiasm, she muttered. "Why does everyone want to take over my life so much?!" The Club boys heard her rhetorical musing, but were well used to her bluntness. The words that followed made them pause, but those same words turned the grins into full-blown smiles. "…and I guess I wouldn't love you all any other way."

Author's Comment: Thank you again for reading this story. Reviews are appreciated.


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